Thursday, 9 January 2014

Department for Work and Pensions admit that some tenants are exempt from the Bedroom Tax

Welfare rights workers have
discovered a legal loophole that could mean thousands of people are exempt from
the hated bedroom tax and the Department for Work and Pensions have sent out a
recent Bulletin informing Councils of the loophole.

Bridgwater Parliamentary Candidate Mick Lerry says "Labour is urging district
councils in Somerset to make sure people here are not being wrongly charged. Tenants who have lived in the
same house or flat since January 1996 – and have claimed Housing Benefit
throughout that time – are the ones who could benefit.The reasons are complicated.
They have to do with the rules that govern the “eligible rent” for social
housing. "

Wrongly Charging people

Some councils are already
admitting that they have been wrongly charging people since April 2013. In the
South-West, Exeter City Council has begun sending letters to tenants it
believes should be exempt.

The numbers involved are not
huge - Exeter estimates the exemption will only help 4 per cent of tenants. But
for those people, not having to pay this unfair tax will be a significant help.

Mick Lerry, who is also the Leader of the
Labour Group on SDC said: “We have argued all along that the bedroom tax is an unjust
attack on people with low incomes. It is very good news that a minority of
tenants seem to have legal protection".

Mick also said: "On the
8th January Sedgemoor District Council debated a petition regarding the Bedroom
Tax and I have also asked a revenue Officer as to how the council will respond
to the recent announcement from the Department of Work and Pensions, to repay
those tenants who are exempt from the Bedroom Tax".

“I hope that West Somerset
and other district councils across Somerset will follow the example of Exeter
in examining how many tenants should be exempt and making sure they get their
money back.”

(The Bedroom Tax is a reduction in Housing Benefit,
which affects people who the government says have “spare” bedrooms in their
homes. Social housing tenants lose 14 per cent of their Housing Benefit if they
have one extra room; 25 per cent of they have two or more. Although the Bedroom
Tax is a central government policy, it is administered by district councils)